Three years after they landed their first flight in Rhode Island, Breeze Airways is picking up speed with a major expansion of  operations at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport.

Currently offering 18 flights, Breeze plans  35 nonstop routes, including seven routes to destinations west of the Mississippi River and at least three international destinations, over the next five years according to an agreement with the Rhode Island Airport Corporation announced Wednesday. Those numbers, with the exception of international flights, essentially double up Breeze’s current numbers, which by the end of 2024 will be 18 routes with three west of the Mississippi. In addition, the airline will base 12 aircraft at T.F. Green, doubling up the six now based in Warwick.

Breeze CEO David Neeleman said that the move would create up to 400 jobs based in Rhode Island and increase the number of passengers going through the airport to over 1 million annually.

“It’s great when you can have a win-win-win situation,” Neeleman said, referring to Breeze, the state’s government and the public. “That’s not necessarily the goal, maybe, of some of the other airlines, but this is ours.”

For Neeleman, the agreement also represents a major investment in the Rhode Island community, which he said excited him.

“By the fourth quarter of this year, this will be our largest space,” Neeleman said. “We love this place.”

Iftikhar Ahmad, RIAC’s president and CEO, said that the airport has “never had an announcement of this magnitude before,” and was incredibly grateful to Neeleman for partnering with T.F. Green in 2021.

Those sentiments were echoed by Speaker of the House K. Joseph Shekarchi, who said that in many ways, Wednesday’s announcement reminded him of the press conference where Breeze first announced its partnership with the airport three years ago.

Neeleman’s track record, Shekarchi said, had been superb, and in the years following Breeze had already had a notable positive impact on the state’s economy.

“No one had heard about them, didn’t know what to do about them, and they said it was the man who started JetBlue, and that’s all you needed, because he made that airline a success,” Shekarchi said. “And he had that same spirit, that same ingenuity, that same commitment, the same ability to get things done. You knew good things were going to happen here.”

According to RIAC Board Chairman Jon Savage, working with Breeze had “lit the match” to improve service at T.F. Green.

Gov. Dan McKee said that Breeze had done a phenomenal job in terms of innovation, and had gone above and beyond in working with the state.

“We got what we asked for, they’ve delivered, but what’s seriously nice about Breeze is that they want more, and they want to continue that right here in Rhode Island,” McKee said. “Plans for the expanded hub here in Rhode Island and [the new T.F. Green airport signs along Route 95] are really highlighting that we’re proud to be here. And we want you to feel the same way with your staff.”

Breeze will be pursuing agreements with other airlines over the next few years to make the international flights possible and reduce hassle for travelers, according to Neeleman. No city officials were present at the announcement.